Enough
by galimeril
Summary: Sometimes you have to make a stand. Especially when everything you've been taught goes against everything that you are. The events leading up to Sirius leaving home and after. AU, cannon pairings.
1. Of Supernovas

A/N: I'm baaaaack! Short, short chapter and no guarantees that they will lengthen, but the story will be finished. Anyone who followed me here from my Avatar the Last Airbender fic __ Fragile__ knows my standard warning about grammar and punctuation: I have no beta and mechanics are not my strong point. Feel free to point out errors and I will endeavor to fix them. I hope you enjoy my version of Sirius leaving home. It is perhaps a little darker than you imagined it, but Sirius' family scares the pants off of me.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and copyrighted characters herein are the exclusive property of J.K. Rowling and whoever else owns the rights to this world. If I was making money off of this, I'd change my major from Chem/Bio to English and Creative writing, but who wants to major in starvation?

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><p>The train pulled into King's Cross station as Sirius and James put away the last of the exploding snap deck. Sirius winced as he felt the vibrations of the engines still. Summer had officially begun. Damn. The marauders hauled their trunks towards the door and James skipped excitedly forward into the waiting embrace of his family. They smiled warmly at Sirius as he disembarked, beckoning him forward and embracing him in turn.<p>

James' father looked at his pocket watch after a few moments of exchanging greetings with the rest of the boys and declared it time to depart. Mrs. Potter simply pulled him closer for a final hug and Sirius held on for all he was worth.

"You will visit us this summer, won't you dear?"

_Unlikely_ Sirius thought. "I'll see what I can do Mrs. Potter."

He waved glumly to James and Remus as their respective parents grasped them by the arms and vanished with a CRACK! Peter had already left with his mother shortly before. Another year of Hogwarts was behind him now, only two more to go. Two more wretched summers of enforced isolation, most of it spent under the Imperius being forced to listen to lectures about purity and propriety and the superiority of the wizarding race over all others.

He shuddered at the memory of the Christmas before last. Not only had been cursed to sit quietly through his father's rant, but he had also been forced to make nice with the visiting wizard who had said much the same things but in a far more reasonable tone of voice whilst petting his long, scaly familiar. Everything about the man screamed dangerous and Sirius had wanted nothing more than to cast the strongest Shield Charm he knew and dive behind the ornate couch and hide.

He twitched as Kreacher snapped into existence just behind him. The nasty little creature was glaring malevolently up at him as he lunged for the Black heir. Sirius had just enough time to draw breath before he was sucked into the elf's magic and found himself staring dizzily at the fireplace in the kitchen.

He tensed as he heard the scrape of a chair behind him. He whirled around to find his mother and father already sitting at the table, waiting for him.

"Welcome home, son."

Sirius did his best not to cringe as he turned to bow to his parents. _Two summers. Just two summers._

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><p>Sirius gasped as his father's fist connected solidly with his ribs yet again. He tried to remain silent, <em>Plenty of time to lick my wounds later. <em>The irony of this thought made him smile…or, would have had he been able to move anything right now. His eyes watered as the blows from his father and the words shrieked by his mother continued to rain down. _Why did I say those things where they could hear?_

He could almost hear James' voice laughing at him, "_No sense of self-preservation, Padfoot!"_ Well, he wasn't wrong. It had been such a stupid risk taking his enchanted mirror outside and talking to James -especially after he had been expressly forbidden from associating in any way with his three friends, the "blood-traitors," but he couldn't stand being cut off from them anymore.

His mother had heard him through the opened window and had attempted to shatter the mirror mid-conversations. But, of course, her curse had just reflected off the spelled surface. _Pity the angle was wrong; she could have put herself out of my misery…_

His father towered over his helpless form, breathing heavily. Still, Sirius made no sound. "If I hear you insult our bloodline or the Dark Lord again boy, you will regret it. Get up, you worthless DOG!" Fifteen years of terror had conditioned Sirius' body to obey that tone, but he found he could not raise himself from the floor.

_Someone's bleeding_ he thought, hazily. _I do hope they don't feel as bad as I do. I think I was bleeding before, wasn't I? _

Sirius' thoughts were brought back to the present as his father let fly a vicious kick into Sirius' chest with a wet SNAP! Sirius curled reflexively around his injured side as far as the grating ribs would allow and lay panting on the sitting room floor, watching in horrified fascination as small flecks of red began to join the small puddles on the hardwood that had begun forming when his mother had made good use of her favorite household Cutting Charm.

Orion Black laughed cruelly and flicked his wand contemptuously at the battered form lying at his feet. Sirius flew through the air like a child's toy thrown in a fit of temper. He sailed over the stair landing and hit his bedroom door with a dull _Thud!_ His initial momentum knocked the door open and sent him sprawling onto his floor. He was briefly aware of an explosion of pain and then the world went black.

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><p>Sirius woke to found himself in his bed, bandages swathing the worst of his cuts and his tender ribs. He recognized Kreacher's handiwork. Regulus must've put him up to it. Lord knew Kreacher wouldn't go to any lengths to keep Sirius alive voluntarily.<p>

He groaned as he sat up. God, he hated this place and all it stood for. He performed a few simple healing charms. He had gotten rather good at them after running the last few moons with Remus. He removed the bandages and watched the cuts seal themselves. His ribs pained him sharply as they mended with an audible crack when the realigned.

He sat panting on the edge of the bed for a moment and then moved stiffly towards the stairs. Sirius was expected to be with the family at breakfast and had learned the hard way that a new beating laid on top of a day old one was twice as bad. He really did not want to give his father any excuses to lay into him again. _Not that he's ever needed one before_ he thought bitterly.

He remembered a time when he thought this form of punishment for the slightest of infractions was the norm. His first detention at Hogwarts had certainly been an eye-opening experience. It was one of the reasons he had racked up so many of them in the following years. The staff's 'punishments' simply did not faze him. His complete disregard for the punishment had led to more and more daring pranks that had kept the Slytherins on edge for weeks.

With that grimly happy memory, he pushed open the doors to the dining room. He walked around the table and sank into his chair. He didn't think he'd be given anything to eat, but he didn't feel as if he could keep the food down anyway and so was not unduly bothered. He was proven right a few moments later as the rest of the Blacks, as well as the food, showed up. His plate was bare and the rest of the day looked just as bleak as his father began to express his approval of the recent slaughter of muggle-borns.

His throat tightened as his father began to gleefully read the list of murder victims. There were at least six names he recognized from school; two were girls in his year. A Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw – he had asked the Ravenclaw out last month but she had turned him down in favor of studying for finals...and now she was dead. Sirius could feel his temper starting to simmer as his mother joined the elder Black in his sentiments.

"The Dark Lord has the right idea!" His father pronounced. "It's about time we purebloods take back our proper place above these inferior half-breeds!"

This was dangerous territory. Sirius struggled valiantly but lost the fight to control his tongue. "Why should a bunch of inbred morons take over the world? What makes you or this Voldemort think that purebloods are better than anyone else? "

Dead silence rang through the room. Walburga Black have him an ugly look but Orion just smiled. Sirius knew he shouldn't have said anything. When his father smiled, he was at his most dangerous. "Sirius, you ask questions you already know the answer to." His whisper cut through the dining room like a whip crack as he fingered his wand lovingly. "I think it high time you learned the full meaning behind the answers you have been given. I am going to let you make a choice and for your sake it had better be the right one." His voice had not risen throughout his speech. "Join the Dark Lord, Sirius. Prove that you are not the worthless mudblood-lover your words have proclaimed you to be these last years!" His father's words reached a fevered pitch and spittle began to fly from his lips. Sirius shook his head in disgust and uttered one world with all the conviction he could muster.

"No."

"So be it," whispered Orion Black. Without warning he jabbed his wand at his eldest son and cried _"CRUCIO!"_

Sirius' body fell from the chair and began twitching uncontrollably_. God, the pain! _He couldn't think, every inch of skin was being flayed by dull knives, his eyes being squeezed into pulp as his teeth were shattered and his organs burned. Sirius screamed and screamed. He wanted to die. Orion Black did not raise his wand but watched as his son cried out and writhed upon the floor. A humane person would have stopped. But not Sirius' father, he just kept on smiling.

Tongues of flame shot through his blood and seared his mind. Everything was going dark. The curse lifted. "Is he dead?" breathed Regulus.

"I care not, he is no longer anything to me."

Sirius barely registered his father's words as his mother turned and blasted a hole into the family tapestry, right next to Regulus' name. Another spell sent his already weakened body flying outside into the gutter. Oblivion beckoned, but Sirius knew that if he succumbed right how, be probably wouldn't wake again. He tried to get up but found one leg broken by his recent flight and collapsed into a heap. One leg wasn't going to be enough to get him up and moving. Three might do the trick…

He released his mind as much as he was able to and allowed the sensation of melting flow over him. Where a battered teen once lay, now was a large but skinny black dog. Darkness encroaching on his vision and mind, Sirius limped off down the street, hobbling on his three legs. His first thought was to get to James, but he didn't know how to get there and it was too far to walk. Paired with thoughts of James came thoughts of his best mate's one true love – Lily. Lily lived in Mill Town, about 50 km away give or take. It would be close, Sirius wasn't sure if he could make it but she was his last hope. He didn't know anyone else close enough to get to that would be willing to help.

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><p>AN: Well, that's the first chapter. Review if you think others would think it would be worth starting - remember people read what others think was good enough to leave a review on. Flames will be used to heat my dorm room! Thank you so much for reading!

galimeril ;D


	2. Of Dust and Debris

Books » Harry Potter » **Enough**

Author: galimeril

Rated: T - English - Angst/Hurt/Comfort - Reviews: 15 - Published: 02-24-12 - Updated: 06-13-13

id:7868927

A/N: Happy Weekend everybody! It's spring break right now and with my upcoming travel schedule, this is likely the last update until the middle summer moths. It is possible that I will develop a reckless irresponsible streak and ditch homework for a weekend to write, but this seems unlikely.

If you are squeamish about medical stuff, there's a bit near the end you'll want to skip, I rated this puppy T for a reason. I've a passing acquaintance with anatomy so most of the terminology should be correct but please don't get too upset if it isn't. I don't think I mentioned before, but this is AU and as such dances with cannon but may not necessarily let it lead.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is a fantastic world which would have made me oodles of money if I had created it. Alas, such was not my lot in life. If JK or her representatives wish to sue, they are going to get all of the dust bunnies in my wallet and a few rabid plot bunnies which have snuck in there to create a rabid crossbreed. Please don't sue me, I like my bunny mutts!

Lily Evans was currently sitting outside, beneath the weeping willow that shaded her favorite reading spot on the riverbank. She was alone. Her sister refused to be near a _freak_ like her. She smiled bitterly. Never had Petunia been so hostile. She had threatened to burn her magical pictures of her school friends. Lily sighed as she looked over the sluggish waters of the shallow river.

She couldn't wait for the next term to start. The constant reports of deaths and disappearances in the Daily Prophet were scaring her and she missed the magic of Hogwarts. Even, dare she think it, the infamous marauders? At least they made life interesting…

So lost in her thoughts was she that a loud noise startled by a loud rustling in the undergrowth. Whatever was moving in there sounded big, but it was making sudden stops and starts as it moved through the brush. The sounds cut off quite suddenly with an audible thump. Curiosity got the better of Lily and she drew her wand, underage restrictions be damned, and advanced into the brush.

She was greeted by the sight of a large black dog lying among the bracken. She approached cautiously. Appearances could lie so she was wary even though the dog looked to be in bad shape. Its ribs were protruding through tightly stretched skin and blood-matted fur. One of the front paws was badly mangled, the white bones jutting out at odd angles.

Lily started as the dog whimpered faintly and its breathing became ragged and it began to shudder. She let out a small scream as the fur vanished and limbs lengthened. Where a canine form once was now lay a young man in tattered black robes. A very familiar young man…

"Sirius?" Lily breathed. "Sirius Black? What happened to you?" He opened his mouth and it seemed as though he would reply, but only a harsh cough escaped and flecked his blips with bloody foam. His eyes rolled up in his head and his body went limp. Lily reached out trembling fingers and touched Sirius' neck. She was relived to feel a weak pulse fluttering beneath her fingertips.

She felt faint. What could have happened to Sirius? He had proven himself capable in a fight more than once at Hogwarts, dodging Slytherin curses with James Potter day in and day out. She had seen him give as good as he got, too.

She had to help him but she hadn't the faintest idea how… _the Snapes_! They were a wizarding family, surely they would help! Severus' mother was a mediwitch at St. Mungo's, maybe she could save Sirius. God, she hoped so. She took one last frightened look at Sirius' still form and set off at a run toward the Snape home.

Lily pounded on the door. _Please, please be home!_ She was rewarded with Severus' face peeking back at her from the crack in the door. "Please Severus, let me in! It's an emergency!" She begged. His eyebrow twitched as though he wanted to raise it in disbelief, but he stepped back and allowed her entrance through the wards guarding the door. "Is your mother home?" Snape's eyes narrowed as he nodded and asked, "What's the emergency?"

Lily knew Severus didn't like James or his friends and in particular, seemed to despise Sirius. She decided not exactly to lie… but not tell the whole truth either. "There's someone hurt in the woods near the river, I think he might be dying," she explained hurriedly. "He's dressed in robes, but he looks to be in pretty bad shape. Please, can you get your mother to help him?"

Snape was looking at her a bit oddly but nodded and ran to fetch his mother. He summarized the situation for her tersely and led her along behind Lily as she bounded off.

It did not take long to reach the prone form hidden among the bushes and Mrs. Snape gasped upon seeing the condition of the teen lying on the forest floor. Blood was slowly pooling in the fallen leaves from a wound in Sirius' shoulder that Lily hadn't noticed before. Aside from what Lily thought was a bullet hole, there were several deep gashes on his face and neck. His leg hung at an odd angle where there were no joints and each wet exhalation of air brought more bloody foam to add to the red fluid dripping into the soil and trailing form the corner of his mouth."Please help him!" Lily pleaded.

Eileen turned to her son. "Run ahead and get bandages and the potions ready."

"Which ones?" Severus whispered, unable to tear his gaze from the tattered form of Sirius.

"All of them." She answered in the same tone. Lily had never seen Severus' mother lose her composure, but she was afraid she might now. But Mrs. Snape merely dropped to her knees and pulled out a wand. She waved it gently over Sirius' body and began to mutter. "Five broken ribs, obviously punctured lung, broken tibia and fibula, shattered scapula, bullet hole _muggles_, bruising, superficial lacerations, malnourished and…" She stopped abruptly. "That's impossible!" she hissed and cast a different spell. She shook her head in disbelief. "It's worse than I thought. Hold tight dear." With that she grabbed Lilly's hand and Sirius and apparated inside her home.

Lily felt the odd stretching sensation that accompanied apparition and found herself in a spartanly furnished room. Snape's mother wasted no time in gently lowering Sirius' still form onto the bedspread. Her long fingers quickly worked Sirius out of his robes and covered his lower half with a sheet she conjured out of the air.

Severus walked into the room, levitating a tray full of small flasks labeled with a neat hand. "Put them on the table Severus, thank you." She had already turned away and raised her wand once more. She murmured an incantation and Sirius began to breathe easier, though it still sounded harsh and labored in the quiet of the little room.

She made a complicated weaving motion around his chest and it seemed to expand slightly with sickeningly sharp cracks as the ribs were reattached. They pushed the skin tighter than it already was. Eileen then seized the bottle labeled 'blood replenisher' and pulled out the stopper, whispering a spell to close his shoulder wound and mend the bones. She gently opened Sirius' mouth and poured the contents of the flask in.

He swallowed reflexively and she laid him back down. She picked up the leg where the two ends of the bones showed a wet white through the bloody skin. She pursed her lips and pulled out the cork of a much smaller bottle whose label Lilly could not read through her hear clouded eyes and upended the entire thing over the mangled mess of a limb.

Still deep in unconsciousness, Sirius cried out and jerked away. Lilly nearly retched at the sight of the appendage hanging onto the rest of Sirius' body by just a flap of skin. Eileen calmly took the mangled limb onto her lap and began to wrap bandages around it. She tucked it under the covers after turning it into a cast and immobilizing the leg completely and tucked his arm against his chest after conjuring a sling. She reached for one more potion, but her hand hovered indecisively. "Shouldn't you give him something for the pain?" Lilly squeaked.

"I suppose you're right. He's coming 'round right now, but if I give him dreamless sleep his body will react to pain anyway and shut down."

Lilly gulped. She hadn't even begun to grasp how grave Sirius' situation was. Eileen made her decision and snatched the smaller bottle. She quickly pulled out the stopper and put it to Sirius' lips. She gently raised his head and poured the pain numbing potion into Sirius' mouth. Sirius groggily swallowed and opened his eyes as Eileen laid him back on the pillow. "Try to get some rest, dear. I'll bring you some food in little bit." With that, she left the room. Lilly leaned closer to the emaciated form of one Sirius Black. "What happened, Sirius? Who did this to you?"

A/N: And there is chapter the second. In the installments to follow we will deal with the emotional aftermath and...stuff. Yeah. Let me know what you liked/hated and as always, have a fantabulous weekend!

galimeril ;D


	3. Of Nebulae

Books » Harry Potter » **Enough**

Author: galimeril

Rated: T - English - Angst/Hurt/Comfort - Reviews: 15 - Published: 02-24-12 - Updated: 06-13-13

id:7868927

A/N: *Creeps out of dark cave and blinks at the moonlight* Well...it's been an adventure. Third year of university is out of the way and on to the final! I've been hibernating for the last few days but now everything has been packed, moved back north, unpacked and repacked into one suitcase for my trip to Greece which begins tomorrow! I'll be posting the final chapter of this story in the week between coming home and flying out to work for the summer in California, busy busy!

You know the drill, yet another unbeta'd chapter. Please excuse the comma abuse as primary school never managed to grind proper grammar into my skull. I hope you enjoy the next chapter of _Enough_!

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its associated characters are the sole intellectual, and probably legal, property of one J.K. Rowling. Her awesome website has confirmed once and for all that I am indeed a Slytherin, but I digress. I don't own this stuff and I certainly ain't makin' any dough from it. Please don't sue!

Sirius was confused. He still felt like he had been run over by a lorry, but now there was something softer than the ground under his back and his vision now swam with reddish sparks.

As his vision slowly focused, the sparks coalesced into bright streamers of red hair caught in the sunlight filtering in through a window to an unfamiliar vista in an unknown room. After a moment, his eyes stopped lolling around the room and he realized the red hair and the green eyes were Lily and she was speaking to him.

"Sirius…Sirius! Can you hear me? Sirius!"

"Lily…? Wha-?" He was cut off abruptly by a quiet click as the door closed behind a retreating shadow.

"How are you feeling Sirius?" Sirius' blurry gaze flitted about the room as he ignored the question in favor of one which was far more currently pressing.

"Where am I?" His voice broke on the last syllable he grated out, as he tried to lever himself into a sitting position but found his arm bound to his chest. Lily's hand rested gently on his sternum, forcing him to relax back onto the bed. It worried Lily that he didn't even have the strength to fight off that feather light touch.

"Well…" she hemmed a bit, realizing that Sirius was not likely going to be happy with his current housing arrangement, knowing his history with Sev. She decided to bite the bullet and get it over with quickly, no sense in hiding the truth from him at this point. "You're in Mill Town, Sirius. I found you down by the river and the Snapes, Sev and his mother, brought you here. She's a trained mediwitch and she's been taking care of you. Severus has been helping too."

She had been right, Sirius did not take this well. "_Snape?_" he hissed as he tried once more to get up. Lily's short fuse ignited at his tone and she jumped to her feet, towering over the bedridden Black. "Sirius Black, what is wrong with you? They took you in and they're helping you! You _will _be grateful for their help, or so help _me_, I will tell McGonagall who it was that sent her that gift basket of catnip and yarn!"

Sirius' eyes narrowed briefly before he lowered them to the faded bedspread, ashamed of his outburst. "So-sorry, Lily." His whisper barely cut through the silence. Lily dropped her intimidating stance and plopped back down on the chair next to the bed, seeming to lose all of her confidence as she turned back towards him.

"Siri, who did this to you?"

At the sound of his hated nickname, Sirius' eyes had snapped back up to hers but dropped to stare at his scarred hands as her question registered. He refused to meet her eyes as saltwater dripped onto the lines and ridges that were carved into the backs of his hands, souvenirs of a Christmas with Bellatrix when he was five. He started when he felt Lily's hand begin to rub soothing circles in his back, his tender ribs creaking with the sudden movement.

"Sirius, if you don't tell me what happened, I can't protect you from it. We're going to take care of you, you're safe here. Please, talk to me!" But Sirius' tears had dried up rapidly and he stared woodenly ahead as red sparks began to dace once more as his eyes began to cross and the darkness came to claim his depleted mind and body once more.

_It was bright. Too bright to see anything more than shadows moving around him and they were moving too fast to see properly anyway. He stood still and closed his eyes, trying to hear where the threatening shades were hiding from him._

_He turned to the right and felt a fist connect with the side of his face like a battering ram. He stumbled to the side, catching his feet on the trailing robes far too large to be his own. He soothed his cheek with right hand while he fumbled about in the robe's pockets with his left for his wand. He came up empty as yet another insubstantial shadow landed a substantial hit to his sternum. He staggered backwards as the sound of cruel laughter began to fill his ears – the wild cackle of Bellatrix, the slow deep chuckle of his father overlaid by the lilting laughter of his mother all wrapped up in the just settling voice of his younger brother pleading with him, asking why he had left him all alone again and hadn't he been a good little brother?_

_Sirius crashed to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably as his mother and father's voice joined in the laughing chorus._

"_Worthless child! Ungrateful wretch!"_

"_We gave you the world and this is how you repay us? How dare you!"_

"_You weren't worth the time it took to raise you."_

"_This is my house boy, and I want it quiet! Stop your damned sniveling!"_

"_Just beat the uselessness out of hm. If you make him bleed, maybe the bad attitude will wash away with the blood."_

"_Sit up straight and mind your manners! Imperio!"_

"_Crucio!"_

"_Imperio!"_

"_Please don't leave me with them Sirius!"_

Sirius bolted upright with the sound of his guilt ringing in his ears paired with the shattering of glass. He was momentarily disoriented, the pastel yellows and blues did not match with the Gryffindor décor of his own room, though the sounds of screaming and shattering furniture in the next room certainly sounded like home. He dragged himself, one-armed, out of bed, tumbling to the floor with a strangled gasp and scrambled into the corner.

Memory returned as he took in the unfamiliar window and the lack of floating fire that had denoted where Lily had been drifting through his fuzzy perception. He started and pressed himself harder into the corner as a particularly loud thud rattled the wall next to his door. The handle rattled and Severus Snape tumbled into his faded little room.

He slammed the door shut behind himself and leaned his thin, shaking frame against it. His eyes darted warily around the room when he noticed the empty bed, finally settling on the corner that was darker than the lighting in the room warranted. Sirius' instinctive magic had taken over as the looming threat of Toby in the next room had invaded his senses and had pulled the threads of shadow in the room around him in an attempt to make his bid to be unfound successful. Perhaps it would have fooled Tobias Snape, but his son was far more perceptive.

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stave off the headache that was forming behind his eyes. He gave it up as a lost cause after a moment and turned on his heel and sharply tapped the door's handle with a slender finger. Though the bolt did not shoot home, no amount of drunken raging and rattling at the door could grant Tobias entry now.

Severus took a deep breath and sent a muttered prayer up to whatever deity had sent Lily into his life for strength and patience and dropped to his knees at the edge of the unnatural shadow.

"Black._ What_ are you doing?"

A/N: Short, I know and yes, I do perhaps abuse dream sequences in my stories *shifty eyes.* I'll try to make up some ground in the last chapter. Look for it in about a month. Special thanks go to my Australian reviewer (You know who you are) who gave me a hearty laugh because the seasons are switched with respect to the northern hemisphere and she was very worried that a promise to update this summer meant a very long wait indeed! Plus, it didn't hurt my vanity any to realize that I had a reader on another continent, either! Thanks for making studying for finals that much more bearable!

Please, review! Reviews make the promised update appear on time ;D

galimeril ;D


	4. Of Newly Kindled Stars

A/N: Good God, I suck. I know. You don't have to say it, I am very well aware that I am far beyond what even the kindest reader might term 'late.' I am very sorry to make certain someones wait after promising and promising again to update. I am a very bad human being. *Locks self in stocks as rotten vegetables begin to fly*

Without further delay, I give you the final installment of _Enough_. It is unbeta'd, as per usual. I'm a chemist, I did not graduate last month with a degree in English. Sorry. I wasn't happy with how it turned out, but this is all I'm going to do. At some point I'm going to edit this, after I edit _Fragile_ but that will be a long time in coming. I'm starting graduate school in the Fall! Thanks for reading!

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><p>Disclaimer: My initials are not JKR. I do not own Harry Potter. If you're angry that I am using these characters and plots for my own twisted fun, please just ask me to take the story down. I have no money for you to sue out of me and I would not do well in prison…<p>

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><p>"<em>Black. <em>What _are you doing?"_

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><p>No response. The bloody Gryffindor was catatonic.<p>

_Where is that famed courage now? _he thought, nastily.

Severus groaned. The bastard was going to undo all of the good work his mother had done if he continued to move around like this. Severus wasn't in great shape right now either – they were out of bone mending potions, thanks to bloody Black, and he sure could use a swallow right now… Tobias was in fine form tonight.

So far gone was Sirius that he didn't notice Severus' approach until the other boy's bony knees connected with the floorboards in front of him. He looked listlessly up and met the grey eyes that stood out sharply against the encroaching darkness. His gaze narrowed as he took in the visage of the hated Slytherin but a vague memory of Lily made him loll his head to the side, breaking the uncomfortably intense gaze.

"Why are you on the floor, Black?"

"Dunno, Snape. Guess it seemed more comfy. Bit of company down here with the dust bunnies and all. Maybe I was lonely… " Sirius was rambling, but the words seemed to spilling out without his permission. He was just so _tired. "_You keeping a banshee in the next room? Awfully loud 'round here…"

Severus' eyes narrowed, ready to snarl back until he realized that Sirius wasn't being flip. One of the side effects of the many potions swimming through his veins right now was a mild compulsion to tell the truth and blurt out whatever was on his mind. Combined with the exhaustion, the effects were making for a very honest Sirius.

"Banshee, Black? That's really the first connection you made?"

"Well, my mother couldn't have followed me here…"

"How do you know that?"

Sirius drew his knees as close as his aching body would allow and buried his head in the comforting folds of cloth. They smelled of ginger and cardamom. "…n't bleeding…"

Severus jumped as another bottle shattered against the door, missing whatever it was that Black mumbled to the floor. He rose haltingly and turned the full force of his glare at the offending portal. Under his gaze, the latent magic of a set of wards embedded in the door frame crept around the room, muffling the offending sounds from without.

In the resulting silence, the tension began to drain from Sirius' frame and slowly the shaking he had been unaware of, stopped. Severus turned back towards the still figure, considering how best to return the wretched Black to his bed. Nearly every bit that Severus considered using to lever Sirius up was rejected for fear of further injury.

He considered just picking Sirius up and carrying him bridal style, but his own arm twinged more than a bit after the lucky hit that had sent him flying for the most heavily warded room in the house. Severus knew his limitations and he was pretty sure he'd wind up dropping Sirius if he tried lifting him now. How he longed to use his wand…

Severus settled next to Black on the side without the sling. That shoulder looked relatively intact – he should be able to get under it and help Black hobble back to the bed; it wasn't _that_ far. He made Sirius make eye contact with him and explained what he was about to do in clipped tones. Sirius nodded distractedly as Severus wrapped corded arms around him and heaved.

The pair of them staggered drunkenly as Severus tried to find his balance and Sirius fought to lock his knees. After a moment, Snape tugged him forward and they began the journey to the bed as the floor lurched treacherously beneath their tangling feet.

It was a blessed relief when the edge of the bed hit the back of Sirius' knees and he fell onto the quilt with a jarring _thump._ Severus slid down the mattress and frame to puddle on the floor. His vision swam with spots and he fought to control his breathing as Black flopped back, legs still dangling to the floor. Thank Merlin he hadn't been heavier, or Severus would never have gotten him up.

"Th-thanks."

Severus' eyes refocused above him but all he saw was kneecaps. Surely he hadn't heard that right? "Did you just display good manners, Black?" he bit out.

"I sup-pose. Shocking, I kn-now."

They sat in silence for a long time. Finally, Severus levered himself to his feet with his good arm and began pushing Sirius the rest of the way onto the bed. The Gryffindor's eyes regarded him without real focus as he tried to help arrange himself on the bed but wound up falling back against the covers, too weak to hold himself up long enough to move.

Seeing his enemy brought lower than he had ever thought possible, the question Severus finally gave voice to was part academic curiosity and partly a desire to know who to avoid pissing off in the future. "Who did this to you?"

There was a long pause as Sirius' eyes drifted closed and Severus finished pulling the sheet up to his chest and stepped back. "Supporters of Voldemort." The words came out flat and toneless and his eyes remained tightly shut.

Severus' mind kicked into high gear, riffling through a vast catalogue of facts and connections. "Why, Black? _Your_ family supports the Dark Lord, don't they?"

Sirius' eyes finally opened. "They do."

Severus felt sick as it clicked together in his mind. Merlin…his own family had done this to him. He glanced at the wards pulsing faintly in the door and walls and turned back to Black. Whatever words he hadn't been sure he was going to say died in his throat. The other young man had fallen back to sleep.

Severus pursed his lips and thanked whatever deity was out there that the last side effect on that laundry list of potions was memory loss. Black would never remember this night. He lowered the wards and listened to the sounds of the house. Satisfied that Tobias' rage had blown itself out for the night, he crept out of the room and hastily made his way to his own bed.

* * *

><p>When Sirius woke in the morning, he was much more in control of himself. He didn't flinch when a strange woman bustled into the room with Lily and began handing him things to drink. He listened intently as Lily told him of the owl she had sent to the Potters the night before and explained again where he was.<p>

Her explanation was cut off by the appearance of James Potter and his father, walking behind the inky black blot that was one Severus Snape. Severus settled in a corner and watched the proceedings with a critical eye. There was a lot of hugging and hand holding and other horribly sentimental displays thrown around. It was loudly announced that Black was to go and live with Potter, rather than return to his own family.

Severus mentally berated the Potters for stupidly painting an even larger target on their backs even as he fought down a stab of jealous rage. No one had ever come to take his mother and him away… No matter, he would protect her – one way or another.

His sharp eyes fell on Lily. It wasn't until that moment that Severus understood true despair. She too had fallen back, watching James interact with Sirius. But her eyes didn't hold the bitterness that lurked in Severus' depths. Rather, they were suffused with tenderness as she watched Potter carefully handle his fragile friend. In a moment of clarity, he saw that he was going to lose her. She was going to give in to that moron's advances after so many years of holding out.

Severus began to close up the crack in the wall that surrounded his heart, the crack that had been Lily. He knew there was no way he would survive losing her if he didn't start preparing for it now. He turned away from the group of morons with no sense of self-preservation and walked outside. As he reached the edge of the property, he pulled a mangled quill from his pocket. Speaking a soft word, he was jerked off his feet only to land in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor.

He was brought upstairs by the family elf. As Lucius Malfoy strode into the sitting room, Severus bowed his head in acknowledgement. "I've been thinking a lot about your offer, Lucius, and I think it's time I accepted."

* * *

><p>AN: Cookies to all you troopers out there who got this far! This is the end of _Enough_. Disappointing, I know. It's not how I wanted it to turn out either but I'm tired of fighting writer's block and I think I did a decent job of segueing back into canon from here. Severus kind of hijacked the end of the story, but he's been niggling in the back of my head every time I write, so I just let him have his way. He makes the very practical, and Slytherin, choice to follow Voldemort – his followers are obviously dangerous and he knows they're well-connected. What better way to make himself more powerful and protect his mother from the cruelty of his father. There's little that motivates more than the fear of being powerless. Severus' last link to a moral core was Lily and he felt like he would never get her back, likely leading to a series of events where he drives her away. Sirius ends up with the Potters and Lily starts falling for James. All is right with the world!

Thank you for sticking with me, everyone! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorite or PM'd me. You made me feel like a star every time you enquired after me and the story. So sorry to be such a disappointment. Next time I post a story, it will be finished beforehand! I hope you all have a lovely and safe weekend!

galimeril ;D


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